Administration in danger of collapse : 23 professions to the streets!
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By increasing the salaries of only one administrative grade profession (Judicial and legal profession) and failing to increase the salaries of specialist doctors, inland revenue officers, Department Director Generals, Accountants, Engineers and 23 other professions, a huge crisis is brewing in the country. The Service Executive Officers' Association President Dr. Nimal Karunasiri warned that within the next two weeks if a solution has not been given for this crisis, there is a danger of the entire administrative service in the country collapsing.

The staff officers’ salary issue cropped up on January 01, 2018, with the salary increments to the judicial and legal profession based on a Cabinet decision.

The state administrative officers salary grades are categorised under SL1, SL2, SL3 SL4,SL5, while SL1 are the administrative officers who join the government under new recruitments.

Doctors and Accountants fall under SL2 category while Additional Secretaries, Director Generals and consultant doctors fall under the SL3 category.

Ministry secretaries come under SL4 category while judicial and legal profession officers come under the SL5 category and their salaries had been increased overriding the circulars.

Overriding accepted methods:

All salary revisions of state employees is done under the National Salaries and Cadre Commission.

However, the wages of the judicial and legal profession officers, which also comes under the state service category, has been increased through the Cabinet overriding the accepted procedure.

According to the regular procedure, wages revision of justices, president, prime minister, ministers and governors is done by parliament. However, these too have to be submitted to the National Salaries and Cadre Commission for recommendation, according to the regular procedure.

On the 6th of July, 20 trade union administrative grade officers had applied for sick leave and staged a protest.

Their demands were that similar to the wage increments of the judicial and legal officers, the wages of other administrative officers should also be increased and a proper wage policy be established.